Australia: New South Wales malting barley to be in high demand when Viterra’s new malt plant opens next year

Malting barley from south-west New South Wales will be in high demand next year when a new malt plant opens in Sydney, ABC communicated on March, 23.

Viterra is building the plant, which needs 135,000 tonnes of malt barley annually to produce malt for beer in south-east Asia.

Peter McMeekin, the company's barley trader, is confident the region can supply enough grain.

"It may be that we've got to use some other varieties as a filler until we have critical mass of the varieties that we require," he said.

"But over time I'm sure that we will get the quantity that we need.

"Barley fits in to the rotation of growers here in southern NSW, so I think the quantity will be there."

23 March, 2011